57 Best Camper Van Accessories And Gadgets

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In this guide I’m going to give you the low down on all the best camper van accessories and must have gadgets for comfort, functionality, and just plain old fun.

I write about hikes, so why would I know what accessories are must haves for camper van living?

When I first met Ollie, he told me he wanted to build a camper van. I told him to wait for me. Then 2 years later we finally did it. 

Once we hit the road, and starting living van life, we quickly identified the gadgets and accessories we had which made so much sense, but we also learnt what we still needed….needed is a strong word, you don’t necessarily need to have all these things, but they make the van life experience so much better. 

Dont have a camper van but want to try car camping? Read more here about everything you need to know about car camping.

What sort of camper van accessories will be covered in this guide?

Now, I’m assuming you have the main set up of your camper van done. You know, bed/cooker/fridge/cupboards/battery etc. This guide is more about the accessories to go with these things.

57 items does sound like a lot, when every inch of your camper van is precious real estate. However, a lot of them are small things, or pack away really small. Some accessories on the list will be specific to the set up of your camper van, ie outdoor cooker vs indoor cooker. Some will be universally useful. 

Do I need all of these camper van accessories and gadgets?

For all the items I mention, I will tell you exactly why I think it’s a must have and why it should take up some of the limited space in your camper van.  However, it’s also down to your taste and preference. Your non negotiables, and can live withouts.

This list lays everything out for you, so you can decide what is most important for your needs.

If you are looking to buy a camper van owner a gift, then you might find something on all the Van life gifts I recommend here.

I have divided this guide into categories for ease of navigation. So if you know you are lacking in one area, you can go straight to that section:

1. Best camper van accessories for cooking and the kitchen
2. Best van life gadgets 
3. Must have van life accessories for fun and memories 
4. Van life must haves for comfort and cosiness 
5. Camper van storage essentials 
6. Useful camper van accessories you wouldn’t think of

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57 Best camper van accessories and gadgets

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Best camper van accessories for the kitchen 

One of the best things about traveling in a camper van, as opposed to tent camping, is being able to have a good kitchen set up, with all the accessories to make the best meals.

1. Collapsable colander

This is something we didn’t think of, but quickly realised we needed. First of all, if you boil anything, I don’t have to tell you how useful a colander is.

2. Toasty sandwich maker – Arguably the most important camper van kitchen accessory 

Not essential, but damn right yummy. After experimenting with all variations of toast, what we started to miss was the toasty. 

What makes this one great, is it’s not electric powered. Most toasty makers that are electric powered will use a lot of battery power:

If you haven’t started van life yet, what you will learn is that if you aren’t carful, your battery will drain quick, so the best accessories and gadgets are the ones that aren’t battery powered.

3. Cooker windscreen

This is another accessory that we didn’t have, but realised we needed for our camper van. 

We have our cooking set up outside. You know, a draw that pulls out. Even though we have side opening doors which do offer some protection, the wind was still sometimes a factor…or rather, a nuisance. 

We found ourselves huddling around the cooker to try and shield it from the wind.  Or angling our parking focused on the wind, rather than which way gives us the best view. This windscreen accessory takes all the faff out of outdoor cooking from the camper van.

4. Kitchen utensil travel kit

You might have already thought about what kitchen utensil accessories you need for your camper van, but what I love about this, is it keeps everything organised and compact. One less thing to worry about when trying to keep our stuff organised.

5. Mini kitchen utensil set 

These are all the extra utensils that you might decide to forgo, because they take up too much space. Thats where this mini kitchen utensil set comes in. Do you really want to give up grated cheese?

6. Moka Pot 

This isn’t an essential item…..but if you like a good coffee, then maybe it is. This Italian Espresso maker makes very good strong coffee to help fuel your van life adventures. We picked ours up on a trip to Italy.

It doesn’t pack away small like some of the other accessories and gadgets on the list, so you will need to decide if it’s worth giving up some space in your camper van.

7. Retro kitchen containers

This also aren’t essential items, but for me, they just makes the space a bit more homey and cosy. Maybe it’s a women thing?

8. Camping cookware 

Following on with the theme of wanting to make our camper van as homey as possible, I insisted on having normal kitchen accessories such as plates and cookware. However, we have had to sacrifice on space to do so. It is risky as they are more prone to breaking, but so far we haven’t had any incidents.

If you want to go down the space saving route, then a cookware set like this will be perfect. It is after all designed for camping, where you want things to pack up as small as possible. Plus, they won’t break.

Just a note, camping cookware sets often say they are non stick, but the quality isn’t as good, so they wear out quicker. 

Read more: Wild Camping tips and essentials

9. Non stick pan

If you do want a bit more luxury, and aren’t as concerned with space, then I would 100% recommend you get a good non stick pan. We switched to one, a month into our van life travels, and it was a game changer. We cook everything in it, including porridge.

Washing up when you don’t have an unlimited flow of water will be so so much easier, if you can get it cleaned quicker. Tefal is one of the best brands for this.

They aren’t cheap, but you pay for excellent quality, and they will last longer. For a little more money, you can get a Tefal pan with removable handle which will be much easier for storage in your van.

10. Enamel mugs

Enamel mugs are designed for camping, as they are pretty durable, so won’t break. Although I wanted our van life kitchen accessories to be as ‘normal’ as possible, enamel mugs I don’t mind.

There are a lot of fun ones out there, like these camping cuppa mugs which you can personalise. 

Something life this would also make a great gift. You can find more gift ideas on 40 Best Van Life Gifts here

11. Camper van cookbook

Who doesn’t love a good cook book? After a while we started to realise we were just making the same things all the time. 

Unless you have a real swish camper van, you most likely don’t have an oven, so need to rely on stove top cooking, or other cooking gadgets. This cookbook will help give you inspiration to mix things up:

12. Portable smoothie maker

This is something we don’t have, but I really want. Although, Ollie has banned me from getting it because it will be an unnecessary use of our battery. 

If your camper van has a nice big battery, or you will have no trouble recharging, then this would be a great gadget for the kitchen. You can also charge it via a power bank or laptop.

One thing I love about it, is it doesn’t need to be plugged in to use it.

13. Manual food chopper

If you are really into your cooking, then this manual food chopper will be a super handy accessory to keep in your camper van. You can get your veggies chopped and diced quickly and easily, and the best part is, it uses no electricity. 

Best van life gadgets 

These are all the gadgets that should have a place in your camper van that are practical, and very useful. Some of these gadgets we have, some we have by accident, and some we realised we needed during our van life travels.

14. Mobile Wifi box (Mifi)– The van life gadget to stay connected

I did tonnes and tonnes of research into the best way to get internet. To keep things simple, you can just use your phone. However, mobile wifi boxes do give better signal. Plus, they save you from draining your phone battery. That’s why I recommend getting one of these little gadgets for your camper van.

I ended up settling on the TP-link m7450. It looked to have the best balance between price, function, and good reviews. There are newer models out, but this one still had the better reviews. You can read about it here to see all that it can do. For pricing, it’s mid range. You can get cheaper, but you can also get much more expensive.

One of the other reasons I picked this one, is that it gives you the option to use 5GHz connection. This is a stronger connection than 2.4 GHz (which is the connection that most Mifi boxes use), as long as there are no walls between you and it. Which there aren’t in a camper van.

For the most part I’m happy with it. 95% of the time, we can get signal with it, where our phones couldn’t. We can also connect all of our devices without issue. 

The only downside is the battery doesn’t last that long. We had to make sure we turned it off when we weren’t using it, otherwise it would drain. Although it claims to last up to 15h, we never got anywhere near that. If it wasn’t for the battery, I would say it’s perfect. 

Top tip: Get a sim provider that is different from who you have for your phone. Different networks have different coverages. So if you are somewhere where one of your sims doesn’t have good coverage, then another might. 

We also chose a pay as you go sim. That way we aren’t tied into a contract, which is useful if you go abroad and want to get a local sim.

15. Power inverter

A power inverter is a handy little gadget to keep in your camper van. So you can charge devices whilst driving. This one also comes with 2 USB charging slots. 

16. Light

Having extra light (separate from you fixed camper van light) is a good backup gadget. There are a few ways you can go with this….

A head torch will come in handy if you don’t have a toilet, and need to get up in the night to go. They allow you to be hands free.

We have a portable light, sort of by accident, and it ended up being one of our most used camper van gadgets.

We had bought it a few years ago, as it was on offer when we were buying something else, so thought why not. The thing is, we never used it. Once we had the camper, decided to bring it along….

The lights we had installed in our van were a lot brighter than we had envisioned, despite having a dimmer function. We found them too bright for evening relaxation. Thats were this little gadget came in. It is also quite bright, but we could place it anywhere (ie behind things) for more van life moody vibes. 

It also has a magnet which secures itself nicely to our camper van when we are cooking at night.

17. World wide travel adaptor 

If you plan to travel all over in your camper van, then a world wide travel adapter is a must have gadget. Yes you might have a battery already in your van, but an adapter will allow you to top up on juice whenever you are in a cafe or the like. This one also has USB/C ports, which is always a good idea. 

18. Solar panel 

Solar panels are a great way to charge up your battery…in the right conditions.

During our van life travels in Europe in the summer, we were able to keep charged up with our solar panel alone. During winter in the UK, it was useless and we had to use a generator. It’s still worth it though…for part of the year.

19. Portable Aircon unit

Unless you have a very swish camper van, you probably won’t have air con. I can tell you now, if you plan to do van life during summer, in southern Europe, it’s going to get very very hot inside, and you will be very grateful for this gadget:

You will need to be mindful of how much battery power it uses and how much battery power you have. Remember, you don’t want too many gadgets that use up all of your camper van battery.

20. Mini projector – A fun camper van gadget for movie night

This gadget is more for van life fun. You can hang up a bed sheet inside to project it onto. What’s great about this projector, is it’s very small and lightweight, and you can connect it to your phone to watch whatever you want. 

It would be really fun, on a summers evening, to sit outside watching movies. Just attach a sheet to the back or side of your van. You can use magnetic hooks to hold the sheet up (we will get to the hooks a bit further down).

If you want the best quality viewing, you could get a projector screen to go with it.

Must have van life accessories for fun and memories 

These accessories are the epitome of #vanlife. Of every item in this guide, these are the things you will need the least in terms of function, practicality, and usefulness. But they are just so much fun. So if you have the space, then why not….

21. Outdoor fire pit – The ultimate van life accessory 

Outdoor fire pits are the ultimate van life accessory. It’s the vision you have when you think of camper van living, sitting outside under the stars. Fire pit going. Toasting marshmallows…..

22. Hammock 

Hammocks are always fun. You can get travel sized hammocks which pack up super small, with adjustable straps to attach to trees. Nothing says van life relaxation like a hammock. 

The only downside is finding the right location so you can set it up, which is where the next van life accessory on the list comes in….

23. Inflatable lounger sofa

Inflatable sofas also pack up super small. It’s basically just some material, that you swish around to trap air inside. Plus, you can take them anywhere. To the beach, the park, the lake etc. 

One thing you will find when living van life, is sometimes you can’t park your camper van in a spot with the nicest views, so this accessory is great for when you want to park up, and go and hang out elsewhere. 

24. World scratch map

Scratch maps are sort of like a diary on the wall. Scratching off each location you have visited. It’s a nice little accessory to record your van life travels. 

Camper van essentials and accessories for outside

When living van life, your camper van is your home, and the outdoors is an extension of your home, so you want to make sure you have the outdoor accessories to enjoy it to the fullest.

25. Folding table

Even if you have an indoor table, I highly recommend getting something you can set up outside. It’s so wonderful to be able to set up outside. Like having a bouji picnic every day. 

26. Camping chair – The camper van accessory at the top of my Wishlist

When camping, you will want the smallest, lightest chair possible. With a camper van, you can afford something a bit more luxury. That’s where these padded camping chairs come in. I mean, how cosy do they look? 

The material is also durable and machine washable. 

We already had camping chairs lying around, so I couldn’t justify buying new chairs. But I’m telling you now, these are at the top of my wishlist. When I have a bit of money to spare, I will be getting them pronto.

Although they pack away small, they aren’t the smallest camping chairs out there, so if you don’t think you will have the space for them, then you should go with a mini camping chair. These ones from Trekology come really highly rated. 

I wouldn’t skip out on a chair, this is one of those camper van accessories I would say is essential. 

The smaller chair is also more universal, as you can take it hiking or tent camping.

Read more: Things you should pack on a day hike

Read more: Wild camping essentials

27. Canopy awning

This is one of those camper van accessories we didn’t have but realised we needed. First of all, it gives you some shade, when sitting outdoors in the summer. 

It also comes in handy on those rainy days. When travelling around in the winter, we were faced with many consecutive days of rain. Without a canopy awning, we were trapped inside for long stretches.  

28. Waterproof picnic blanket

A picnic blanket is great for lazing around outside, but if the ground is damp, you will end up with all this material that needs drying. If you don’t get it dry before it packs away, you will be faced with mould and smells. 

That’s where this waterproof blanket comes in. The waterproof layer is underneath, so you will still have the cosy blanket layer on top. It also provides some heat insulation if the ground is a little cold:

29. Lantern

If you want to be van life cool, you should get a lantern. They are lightweight and waterproof, and just designed for hanging out, outside.

Van life must haves for comfort and cosiness 

When Ollie and I started van life, we wanted to make it as homie as possible…well I did anyway. Ollie doesn’t think that way, but he definitely appreciated the little things I made sure we had, to make it as cosy as possible.

30. Rug

We have a very small camper van, but could still fit in a little rug. It’s so nice waking up and putting your feet down on something soft and cosy. 

31. Cushion

When I told ollie we would need some cushions, he panicked a little. He knows what I mean when I say we need cushions, and put a limit on how many I could bring….I brought more. 

He has no complaints though, as they just add such a cosy, home vibe. If you pick just one van life accessory for cosiness, make it a cushion…or three.

32. Throw blanket

I brought along a throw blanket, also against Ollie wishes. Little did we know at the time, how essential it would become. 

First of all, they make your bed nice and cosy. Second, what we discovered, is it provided us with the warmth we needed when travelling around in winter. 

33. Magnetic window curtains

You will want to find a way to keep the light out, or even keep people from seeing inside when you are in your van at night with the lights on. These magnetic window curtains are great because you can adjust them to the size of your windows. Plus they are removable, if you don’t want to have permanent curtains in your front windows. 

34. Neom diffuser – My favourite camper van accessory for nice smells

I knew before heading out, I wanted to have the best accessories to ensure the camper van always smelt nice. I thought about diffusers, however, they are run with water, which is an issue because you will need to chuck out any remaining water if you start driving. They wouldn’t be a very practical gadget for van life.

That’s when I discovered this Neom Diffuser. No water needed for this one. You screw in the essential oil so you don’t have to worry about any leakages. It’s also small and portable, and runs on battery charge. And a good battery charge at that. I use it every day and only need to charge it roughly once a month. 

It may seem a little pricey, but for me it was money well spent as I also use it in my everyday life when not traveling around in a camper van.

I also love that you can have multiple essentials oils at your disposal and switch them out whenever you want a change. You can get calming oils, de-stress oils, energy oils…you get the picture. 

35. Candles 

I love a good candle. They are a wonderful van life accessory to have set up in the evenings, for calming atmosphere, and nice smells. 

NB: Be careful with candles, and don’t leave them unattended in your camper van. 

Camper van storage essentials

If you don’t have a good storage set up, things will get messy real quick. These accessories help to solve that problem, keeping your camper van clutter free and organised. I personally find that when things around me are messy, my mind is messy. 

36. Cable bag – An absolute must have camper van accessory

This cable bag is one of the purchases I’m most proud of. I bought it very last minute, to keep all my cables, plugs, device batteries organised. I’m now more organised with them than I was at home. It makes me so happy to see organised cables. 

I bought it for Ollie and I to share, but I ended up needing all the space myself, so he uses one bag for all of this. It hurts me a little to see his cable mess, so I might buy him one of these as well.

37. Storage nets

Storage nets are a great way to create some extra storage space in your camper van, as you can attach them to any wall surface.

38. Storage box

If you have cupboards built, it might be worth looking into getting some storage boxes. This will help keep things organised inside the cupboards.

They are also great because you can pull them out, which makes life a little easier if you have a small camper. Not having to crouch down trying to find what you need from the cupboard. 

39. Packing cubes

Another way to help keep things organised in your camper van is to use packing cubes. Your life will be so much easier if you can have underwear, socks, t-shirts etc separate from each other.

You might have every intention of keeping your clothes organised in your camper van, but that won’t last, which is why I think some sort of packing cubes is a must have accessory. 

40. Draw divider

Draw dividers are a nice little way to keep your draws organised (if you have draws). You can get divided boxes, or actual draw dividers. The dividers are good because you can adjust them to the size of your draw, if the boxes don’t fit. 

41. Non slip draw liner

One thing you need to think about when starting van life, is keeping things from moving about when you are driving. A non-slip draw liner should help keep your bits in place.

It’s not just about making sure things don’t break, it’s also the noise of things bashing about when you are on the move. You can buy a pack or roll of it, then cut it to size. 

42. Tupperware boxes

One thing we thought a lot about before starting out, was how we would minimise our rubbish. We realised that most of our trash was food packaging, which is a whole issue in itself. Whilst it would be great to be able to buy all of our food, package free, the reality is, most supermarkets don’t think that way. 

So a good tip is, when you do your food shop, empty what you can into Tupperware boxes. So you can dispose of the food packaging there and then. 

Having Tupperware boxes also means you can cook in batches, and store away the extras for future meals. 

43. Car rubbish bin

You may already have a bin built in to your camper van, but if you don’t, then this rubbish bin is a must have accessory. You can attach it over the back seat, or have it in the front. It will keep all your rubbish (and the smells that might come with it) contained. 

They aren’t huge, so it forces you to be a bit more mindful of how much trash you accumulate. But the real benefit in the small sizer, is your rubbish bag will be much easier to dispose of in a regular street bin. I can’t tell you the pain of trying to find somewhere to dispose of a large bag of rubbish.

Useful camper van accessories you wouldn’t think of

These are the camper van accessories and items that you may think you don’t need, but are actually very useful. 

44. Spirit level

This little gadget is something I didn’t think of for the camper van, but Ollie did. When parking up every night, a spirit level is a great little accessory to help you angle your camper van so that you are nice and level.

This round precision spirit level is great because it covers you from all angles. Alternatively, you could go for a pen spirit level. A pen is always handy to have around. 

45. Wheel chocks

Wheel chocks are sort of the same family as the spirit level, in that they will allow you to level up your camper van just perfectly over night. Sometimes when you park up, there is just no way to be level without some chocks.

46. Phone holder – The camper van accessory to stay within the law

Living on there road, driving from place top place, you will need something to hold your phone, so you are handsfree for navigation. This phone holder you can attach to your air vent, and it rotates 360, so you can get the exact angle you want:

47. Car cup holder

Another useful accessory to have in your camper van. Not just as the driver, but as the passenger as well.

If you need to get moving, but haven’t finished your coffee, you can keep it in a cup holder, instead of having to keep a hold of it. 

I speak from experience of having numerous spillages.

Cup holder: Buy on Amazon

48. Flask

A good tip is to have some pre-boiled water kept in a flask. So if you fancy a hot drink, you can make it quickly. This is especially useful if you have a cooker that pulls out of the back….

Especially if it’s raining. On multiple occasions, I wanted too make myself a hot drink, but couldn’t due to the rain. It was during those moments when van life wasn’t so fun, that I thought about what accessories I would need to fix it.

I would invest in a good flask though. Stanley and Thermos are both quality brands. Here are a couple that I recommend for different budgets:

49. Insulated leak proof mug

An insulated leak proof mug could be used as an alternative to a cup holder (or as well as). That way, when you are on then move, you can be sure that you won’t get any spillages. I definitely had some spillages before I got myself one.

50. Magnetic hook

These are the hooks I mentioned earlier. They are a great little accessory to take with you in your camper van. Especially when you are starting out. 

When you start living the van life, you will get a feel for where you might want to hang things ie coat, hand towel. These metal hooks a super strong (they can take 100lbs), and aren’t permanent, so you can play around with locations to find what works best before committing to drilling holes everywhere. 

You can also use them for hanging up curtains. They are super cheap, so it’s worth taking this accessary along when you start out living van life, as I’m pretty sure you will find a use for them.

51. Dust pan and brush – The camper van accessory that surprised us the most in terms of usefulness

A dust pan and brush turned out to be one of our camper van accessories that became more useful than we had thought. With the constant getting in and out, you will accumulate dirt on the floor.

Not to mention if you have just got in after spending some time on a beach. In fact, you don’t even need the pan, just the brush. Then you can scoot all the dirt out. 

We did lose ours somewhere along the way, and really noticed. 

52. Microfibre towel 

Having a microfibre towel as opposed to a regular towel is very important. They are designed to dry quickly, which is what you want when living in a camper van. If things stay wet/are slow to dry, it can feel very damp inside, and could even lead to mould. 

Another great thing about microfibre towels, is they pack up much smaller than regular towels.

If you have never used one before, it will take a bit of getting used to, as they don’t absorb water like a normal towel. 

53. Laundry bag

You will want something to keep your dirty clothes in, separate from your clean stuff. Having a dedicated laundry bag also makes life easier, as when you do reach a laundrette, you are already good to go. This is the bag we have:

54. Windscreen sunshade

I spoke a little about curtains earlier, but for your windscreen, you will want something a little different. This sunshade blocks out all the light, whether you need it for sleeping, or it’s a crazy hot day and you want to keep the inside of your camper van cool.  

It then packs away in a little bag for storage. We do love a van life accessory that packs away.

Windscreen sunshade: Buy on Amazon

55. Trowel 

If your camper van doesn’t have a toilet, you will need this accessory. Whilst it’s nice to be able to find a public toilet to poo, sometimes, you just need to go. 

If you have to poo outside (AKA wilder-poo), then the rules are, you need to bury it. 

56. First aid kit

You should keep a first aid kit in your camper van, hopefully you won’t need to use one, but it becomes essential if you do. 

57. Privacy tent 

If you have an outdoor shower, then a privacy tent will help you keep…private. They are super quick and easy to set up, or put away. They also pack up small for easy storage in your camper van.

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Final thoughts on the best camper van accessories and gadgets

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I think I have covered everything. Well, I have at least covered all the accessories we found to be really useful, or wished we had, after travelling in a camper van. I’m sure I will think of more things as we continue on our travels…..

Read more: 40 Best Gifts for van lifers

Read more: Everything you need to know about camping with a car

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